Oy BhAratiyArE!--A Child's Eye View of the Poet

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 12 Sep 2012, 04:22

I have often wondered--why don't we celebrate his birthday? Marking the birth of great men seems like a better thing to do. It puts us in a celebratory mood when we sing their praises and pay them homage.

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 12 Sep 2012, 07:10

This is a song I have come across for the first time..

ஊழிக்கூத்து

ஊழிக்கூத்து

வெடிபடு மண்டத் திடிபல தாளம் போட - வெறும்
வெளியி லிரத்தக் களியொடு பூதம்பாடப் - பாட்டின்
அடிபடு பொருளுன் அடிபடு மொலியிற் கூடக் - களித்
தாடுங் காளீ, சாமுண்டி, கங்காளீ!

அன்னை அன்னை,
ஆடுங் கூத்தை நாடச் செய்தா யென்னை.

ஐந்துறு பூதம் சிந்திப்போ யொன்றாகப் - பின்னர்
அதுவும் சக்திக் கதியில் மூழ்கிப் போக - அங்கே
முந்துறு மொளியிற் சிந்தை நழுவும் வேகத் - தோடே
முடியா நடனம் புரிவாய், அடு தீ சொரிவாய்!

அன்னை, அன்னை
ஆடுங் கூத்தை நாடச் செய்தா யென்னை.

பாழாம் வெளியும் பதறிப் போய் மெய் குலையச் - சலனம்
பயிலும் சக்திக் குலமும் வழிகள் கலைய - அங்கே
ஊழாம் பேய்தான் "ஓஹோ ஹோ" வென்றலைய - வெறித்
துறுமித் திரிவாய், செறுவெங் கூத்தே புரிவாய்!

அன்னை, அன்னை
ஆடுங் கூத்தை நாடச் செய்தா யென்னை.

சத்திப் பேய்தாந் தலையொடு தலைகள் முட்டிச் - சட்டச்
சடசட சட்டென் றுடைபடு தாளங் கொட்டி - அங்கே
எத்திக் கினிலும் நின்விழி யனல் போயெட்டித் - தானே
எரியுங் கோலங் கண்டே சாகுங் காலம்!

அன்னை, அன்னை
ஆடுங் கூத்தை நாடச் செய்தா யென்னை.

காலத் தொடு நிர்மூலம் படுமூ வுலகும் - அங்கே
கடவுள் மோனத் தொளியே தனியா யிலகும் - சிவன்
கோலங் கண்டுன் கனல்செய் சினமும் விலகும் - கையைக்
கொஞ்சித் தொடுவாய், ஆநந்தக் கூத்திடுவாய்!

அன்னை, அன்னை
ஆடுங் கூத்தை நாடச் செய்தா யென்னை....

http://ilakkiyapayilagam.blogspot.in/20 ... -post.html

Has any body rendered this song??

Sorry for the digression ...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 12 Sep 2012, 08:16

Thanks, VKailasam. A fantastic essay by R.K. Kannan on this poem.

I'm afraid not many vocalists will take it up for singing. Can they cope with all the flood of words of fury which Bharathi unleashes here? Can they successfully contain the emotional sense of the verses in their singing? Have to wait and see...

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 12 Sep 2012, 10:49

Bharati passed away, not on the 11th, but on the 12th September, in the early hours.

Govindaswamy · Post by **Govindaswamy** » 13 Sep 2012, 05:12

The posting numbers do not appear in this and all other topics. This makes it difficult to refer to earlier postings.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 13 Sep 2012, 19:49

Thanks for pointing it out..
I have alerted the admin who will look into it.

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 15 Sep 2012, 06:11

Thanks Govindaswamy, this is fixed now.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 22 Sep 2012, 12:25

Aeroplane – Made in Chennai

After Bharati came to Puduvai, British Indian spies pitched permanent tents there. Suspecting clandestine plots by Bharati and others, informers started shadowing them all the time. Khan Bhadur G.S. Abdul Karim, a British Indian police officer, was given this special assignment. Another such spy was Papa Rao Naidu from the British Indian police force, whom Bharati knew even when he was in Madras.

The French Indian postal service was under British control, which came in handy for the spies. They intercepted and censored all mail destined for Bharati and India. Even the money orders were stopped. People sending money orders from British India were tracked down and intimidated. In spite of such pressures, India was doing well. It had grown to a larger print size and often came out with special supplements.

In one such supplement published in 1910, there was an article about an aircraft made in Chennai along with a picture. This aeroplane was assembled in the Simpson workshop in Madras by Tamil workers, under the sponsorship of D ‘Angelis, the French proprietor of the D ‘Angelis Hotel. Bharati stresses that it was built by “Tamil workers”. Shrewd writer that he was, Bharati never lost an opportunity to highlight national pride and instill confidence among people about the achievements of their fellow natives.

The news item mentions that this plane did take flight with its (homemade?) engine. Isn’t it a matter of pride that within six-and-a-quarter years of the Wright brothers demonstrating the first flight of an aircraft, there was a successful flight by a plane entirely assembled in Chennai?

*** *** ***

Meanwhile several attempts were made to get Bharati to return to British India. Prompted by Collector Ashe of Tinnevelly, the Zamindar of Ettayapuram arranged for Bharati’s maternal grandfather to visit Puduchery. The Zamindar gave his assurance that Bharati would be given a job at Ettayapuram and asked the grandfather to bring him back.

Bharati was very fond of Ramaswamy Iyer, his grandfather. His happiness knew no bounds when grandpa, grandma and uncle Sadasivam arrived in Puduvai. That his grandfather, who till then had not travelled beyond Sattur, came all the way to Puduvai for his sake caused great cheer to Bharati. But once he learnt the purpose of their trip, his face grew dark. Twirling his moustache Bharati told them, “Does the Zamindar think he can betray me for reward, just like they earlier betrayed Panchalankurichi**? Let him beware”

Later he roared “Oh, what great compassion the Englishman has for me! He has helped my grandparents visit me. How am I ever going to repay his kindness?”

Bharati arranged for thatha, paatti and maama to stay in Puduvai for a month and a half. On grandpa’s insistence, he wrote a non-committal letter to the Maharaja of Ettayapuram. But he did not give a serious thought to it afterwards.

What else could Bharati have done, the Mahakavi who wrote such lines as “kaNNiraNDum viRRu chittiram vAnginAl kaikoTTi chiriyArO” (Does it make sense to sell one’s eyes to buy a painting?) and “padam tiru iraNDum mARip pazhi migundu izhivuRRAlum, sudandira dEvi nin pAdam tozhudiDal marakkilEnE” (I will never stop worshipping freedom, even if great misfortune befalls me)?

** Panchalankurichi was the seat of power of Veerapandia Kattabomman, the Polygar ('Palayakkarar') who rebelled against the British. The Polygar of Ettayauram, later given the title of Raja by the British, was accused of betraying Kattabomman.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 22 Sep 2012, 12:40

Top: India Puduchery edition 19-2-1910, in larger print size with eight pages, priced at one anna. A special supplement with a story on an aeroplane assembled by 'Tamil workers' in the Simpsons company in Chennai along with a picture of the aircraft. Other features in this issue include a cartoon criticizing The Press Act of 1910, an editorial on arts, subscription details (based on individual capability), a short story, etc.

Bottom: Picture of the aircraft (biplane) assembled at the Simpsons workshop for D 'Angelis

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 22 Sep 2012, 15:10

'The centenary of a Madras airplane' in The Hindu:-
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/08/23/stor ... 730500.htm
and, for more information:-
http://www.navhindtimes.in/panorama/ind ... t-aircraft

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 25 Sep 2012, 11:37

India, Vijaya cease publication

India, with its many novel features experienced a healthy growth. Readers wrote letters suggesting a higher subscription price and requesting two issues a week. The editor finally announced that if at least 1500 readers showed interest, the frequency could be increased to biweekly. The issue of 24 Jan, 1910 announced that starting from Ugadi (April 1910), the magazine would be published twice a week.

This must have angered the British establishment no end. The more they tried to suppress Bharati’s defiant writing, the stronger grew his popular support. Somehow they wanted to shackle India.

So they promulgated a law to suppress the press. Using this law, they banned the entry of India in British territory.

The reason cited by the government for the ban was strange indeed. Five months earlier, India had carried a cartoon and an article. The government cited those as the flimsy reason for the ban. The article had been written by Bharati, who had attacked the British Government for exporting wheat from India while the people remained hungry; the cartoon showed hungry, emaciated people in the backdrop of a ship sailing with Indian wheat on board.

The daily Vijaya was banned at the same time as India and both of them ceased publication. The two magazines had their maximum readership in British India. The subscribers and advertisers were also predominantly based in British India. There was no other go except to stop the magazines.

It was not that this scenario was not foreseen - in fact, to trick the authorities into believing that Bharati no longer wrote for India and Vijaya, he was made editor of a new magazine Suryodayam, run by the printing press owner Chinnaiah Ratnasamy Naidu.

Two young men, V. Harihara Sarma and Nagaswamy worked as Bharati’s assistants in India. Sarma wrote the sub-editorials while Nagaswamy took care of book keeping. An experienced journalist, Venkata Arya, was nominated the editor of India when Bharati was away looking after Suryodayam.

Like the last flicker of a dying lamp, India shone bright in all aspects before its demise. A cartoonist was specially brought over from Madras. The carved lead blocks made by this artist perfectly reflected the editor’s voice.

Bharati himself had mentioned about an unsuccessful effort by an informer to hand him over to the British Indian Police, in the editorial of the issue dated Feb 26, 1910.
In the March 5, 1910 issue, writing an editorial on “Sculpture and Poetry”, Bharati makes fun of the government with the words “If we write about these, the Press Act cannot touch us. So let us at least share such things with the people”.

Puduvai India which appeared first in October 1908, stopped its publication with the 12 March, 1910 edition, a year-and-a-half after it came into existence. In these eighteen months, Bharati accomplished many other feats: you may recall that he published the second collection of his nationalistic poems (Swadesa Geetangal) under the title ‘Janma Bhumi’.

India’s fate soon spread to other publications. By the end of 1910, Bharati had been reduced to a sad plight of not having a newspaper or magazine to work on.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 25 Sep 2012, 11:47

The editorial page of India issue dated 27 Nov, 1909 published from Puduvai. The editorial on 'Equality-2, the feeling of Indianness', was part of a series of editorials under the topics Freedom, Equality, Fraternity. The cartoon is on the topic 'victory of Swadesiyam'. The last column reports on the victorious appeal in Aurobindo's case.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 25 Sep 2012, 19:46

Thanks for a great wealth of materials. Bharathy should be celeberated as a Journalist par excellence in addition to being a great poet!
I miss the substance of the cartoon above?
Is BhArata mAtA chopping the heads of Ravana?

Thx PB for the refs..

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 28 Sep 2012, 10:08

Till yesterday it was our abode

When Bharati left Chennai all of a sudden for Puduchery, he reached there all alone. His pregnant wife Chellammal had been sent away to her parents’ home in Kadayam, along with daughter Thangammal.

Before Bharati left for Puduvai, he had made a grand plan along with the India proprietor S.N. Tirumalachariar and the latter’s relative and Bharati’s steadfast supporter, Mandayam Srinivasachariar. The plan was that the three of them would go on a tour of Europe after handing over the administration of India to M.P. Tirumalachariar, cousin of S.N. Tirumalachar, who had proved himself as a competent manager of the journal. But this plan kept facing hurdles for various reasons.

One of the reasons was of course Bharati’s forced move to Puduvai. Bharati’s relative Lakshmayyar, who also pitched in with financial help now and then, came to see Bharati to discuss this plan. Besides Bharati’s physical presence in Puduvai, the need to wait for Chellammal’s delivery was another factor that caused a delay of the European sojourn.

Meanwhile, in a most unexpected turn of event, M.P. Tirumalachar had made arrangements for his own visit to England. He arrived suddenly in Puduvai one day and announced that he was on a voyage via Colombo, and had made a stopover to visit friends. This came as a huge disappointment for Bharati. Since they were left with no one fit enough to look after India, the three friends had to abandon their European tour. They began focusing their attention to strengthening the newspaper.

Bharati’s desire to travel to Europe remained intact for a long time. It has been reported that he would eagerly watch every ship that sailed along Puduvai’s coast during the days of the First World War. The fact that French people and many Western scholars lauded him for his works even while Tamil Nadu remained ignorant of him, and the West’s recognition of a comparable personality (litterateur) in Rabindranath including the Nobel Prize awarded to him, intensified Bharati’s desire to visit Europe. Alas, Europe was not lucky enough to come face to face with him.

*** *** ***

After some time, Chellammal delivered. Bharati was reading Kalidasa’s Sakuntalam when he received news of the child birth. He wrote back suggesting to name the baby as Sakuntala.

After India had established firm roots in Puduvai, Bharati arranged for his family to join him. At first he moved into a south facing house in Eswaran Dharamaraja Koil street. This house remains intact to this day. It is understood that a Bharati Sangham is being run from this house these days. But the building is in a state of disrepair and getting weakened.

After a few years in this house, Bharati shifted to a larger double storey house on the opposite side. The day he moved, Puduvai was hit by a cyclone of unprecedented severity. Innumerable trees were felled in the nonstop rain accompanied by gale force winds, turning “forests to firewood”. Many houses were damaged. The rear portion of the house Bharati had stayed in until the previous day caved in. Had Bharati and family not moved …?

Bharati and Chellammal asked themselves the above question. A song was born as a result.

With the title “Cyclonic Storm: the night of Wednesday, the 8th of Kartikai in the year Nala – a husband and wife”, the poem starts with a stanza in the words of the wife: “kARRu aDikkudu, kaDal kumuRudu, kaNNai vizhippAi nAyaganE” (The wind is howling, the sea is rough, wake up my beloved)

This is how Bharati ends the poem:

“nERRirundOm anda vITTinilE, inda
-- nEram irundAl en paDuvOm?
kARRena vandadu kURRamingE, nammai
-- kAttadu deiva valimai anRO?”

(Till yesterday it was our abode
-- Had we not moved, imagine our fate?
Atop a Tempest Yama Strode
-- We’ve been saved, God is great)

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 28 Sep 2012, 10:15

The house Bharati stayed in. Now restored by the Puduchery government, it includes an exhibits room and is functioning as a library and a reading room since 1972. Below: a 1938 picture of the same building in dilapidated state.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 28 Sep 2012, 11:15

cmlover wrote:I miss the substance of the cartoon above?
Is BhArata mAtA chopping the heads of Ravana?

The goddess is Madras Presidency (Chennai mAdEvi), and the Lankasura is Lancashire/ Manchester. In 1908, textile imports to Madras presidency from Lancashire had reduced by half already. The Chennai-dEvi is telling Lanca(shire) asura, "I have already cut off half of your heads, just a few more to go".

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 28 Sep 2012, 20:22

Thanks! very apt cartoon...
Thanks for the pictures of Bharathy illam...

I also feel the pain that Bharathy was not recognized by the West vis-a vis Tagore

Is it too late to award a Nobel Prize for Bharathy posthumously?
Amma can lobby on his behalf if there is sufficient pressure from the people...

kvchellappa · Post by **kvchellappa** » 28 Sep 2012, 21:31

Is Nobel prize given posthumously?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 29 Sep 2012, 00:25

The posthumous rules changed in 1974. Before 1974, a person could be awarded a prize posthumously if he or she had already been nominated, which was the case with Erik Axel Karlfeldt (Nobel Prize in Literature 1931) and Dag Hammarskjöld (Nobel Peace Prize, 1961). Under the 1974 Staute changes, the prize may only go to a deceased person if the recipient dies between the time the award is announced and the date the prize is awarded (December 10)

Ref: http://nobelprizewatch.wordpress.com/20 ... explained/

Too bad!
Still I guess Bharata Ratna can be awarded!

kvchellappa · Post by **kvchellappa** » 29 Sep 2012, 09:11

I fully agree. Somebody should bell the cat (CM of T.Nadu).

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 01 Oct 2012, 00:05

The next chapter I am about to translate has its title from Bharati's pudiya aatticchooDi, but I am unable to think of an apt translation for 'peridinum peridu kEL'.

The options that crossed my mind are:

1. 'Think Big'? Somehow this feels inadequate....'Think and act big' may be?
2. 'Wish Big'?; But this may sound like 'make a big wish' which isn't exactly what it is
3. Demand the best? Not as poetic as the Tamil original.

Your opinions / suggestions most welcome. Thanks!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 01 Oct 2012, 00:34

Challenging indeed!
I can say in sanskrit
विपुलॆ विपुलत्वं इच्छतु।
but that does not capture the spirit of what he meant.
Desire for the sky? (but not avaricious!
Let us hear from others...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Oct 2012, 04:14

Ask for the loftiest of all of the Almighty?
Big, meaning a higher state of living, thinking and creating, I suppose.
There will be better interpretations.

Sridhar, you are doing great! Please continue until I'm able to find quiet time to take this up again.

KVChellappa is doing the translation of Bharathi's prose with dedication.
What more do we want?
bhArathi enRum vAzhga!

kvchellappa · Post by **kvchellappa** » 01 Oct 2012, 08:09

Literally "Ask for bigger than the big".

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 01 Oct 2012, 19:03

I would propose: Ask for nothing less than the greatest
I feel that "" big "has a connotation of massive , bulky, common heavy
great has a connotation of quality ,nobility.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 01 Oct 2012, 19:27

I like

Ask for the loftiest of all of the Almighty

Ask (கேள்) for the loftiest of all (பெரிது) of the Almighty(பெரிதினும்).

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 02 Oct 2012, 11:20

Left: Combination picture showing the India office and Printing press as they existed in 1938 (top) and 1980 (bottom) in Etranger Street, now Mission Street

Right: 1958 (large image) and 1982 (smaller image at bottom) views of the two storied house Bharati shifted to in Eswaran Koil Street

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 02 Oct 2012, 11:31

Ask for the loftiest of all (Peridinum peridu kEL)

Bharati was a man with a big heart. Didn’t he advice us to think big and always ask for nothing less than the greatest (‘peridinum peridu kEL’) in his pudiya aatticchoodi?

He thought and acted big when it came to selecting a rental accommodation for his family. After a growing dislike for the original house he stayed in at Eswaran Dharamaraja Koil Street, he found a much larger house to move in, just across the street. It was a large, two-storied home with a hall on the first floor and a terrace on top it. Bharati describes this house in his collection of essays entitled ‘Summa’:

“Last evening I was sitting all by myself on the terrace at the third level. In the house I stay in, there is no ladder or stairs to go from the second floor to the third making it difficult to reach the terrace. You need to stand on top of a small parapet, and leapfrog the height of a normal person. If you slip while jumping up grabbing the edge of the terrace, you will fall eight or nine feet below and hurt yourself. Since I love solitude, I make the effort and often sit alone on the terrace on the third level”

He would share with Kuvalai Kannan his wish to have a ‘hall of solitude’ (EkAnta kUDam) so that he could escape from useless, idle people. Kuvalai used to say that inspired by this, Aurobindo went on successfully to build exactly such a facility.

The article ‘Summa’ describes the greatness of kuLLachAmi, a renunciate who came to that terrace searching for Bharati. Bharati says that the Swami, in the flash of an eye, jumped on top of the parapet and from there on to the terrace in another swift jump . Another friend and body-builder Venu Mudali who tried to emulate the Swamiji fell down, sustaining internal injuries.

On the day of this incident, on finding Venu Mudali making derisive comments about Indian holy men, Kullachami enacted a magical act saying ‘see the prowess of a maha yogi of Hindustan’ and grew taller instantly. Says Bharati: “Kullachami grew to 7-3/4 feet, from his normal height of 4-3/4 feet. One of his eyes shone like the Sun, while the other was like moon. The right half of his face resembled Parvati, while the left half looked much like Siva. When he bent down, he looked like Lord Ganesha and when he faced upwards, he seemed like Vishnu.”

The swami said “I am the parama purusha”. He told us to seek unity and get rid of religious differences. Venu Mudali lost consciousness. Bharati swooned too. When they both came to, Kullachami was gone.

*** *** ***

Even though he had a big house to live in, Bharati would go out during most days, to stroll in the groves and the open spaces. Why then did he shift to a larger house? When put this question, Bharati replied that he didn’t like small dwellings and moreover he could always buy time to pay the rent, up to eight months if needed, from vilakkennei chettiyar the land lord.

Chettiyar was patience personified. He would enter the house on tiptoes when coming to collect the rent; he would never open his mouth to demand his due. If Bharati had money and paid him the rent, he would take it. Else he would stay for some time listening to Bharati sing his poems and leave quietly. He knew no strictness. Hence Bharati affectionately called him vilakkennei (Castor oil) chetti.

This house has now changed hands and the new owners are living there. Since it is in continuous use, it is in good repair unlike the dilapidated state of the house across the street.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 02 Oct 2012, 14:05

Sridhar, that was very nice! So, was the translation of bhArati's idea for an EkAntakUDam the mAtR mandir of Auroville, or, is there another such place?

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 02 Oct 2012, 15:44

I have no idea Ravi, this needs research. Long time Puduvai residents like Pon Bhairavi sir may be able to give us an idea.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 02 Oct 2012, 20:43

On the day of this incident, on finding Venu Mudali making derisive comments about Indian holy men, Kullachami enacted a magical act saying ‘see the prowess of a maha yogi of Hindustan’ and grew taller instantly. Says Bharati: “Kullachami grew to 7-3/4 feet, from his normal height of 4-3/4 feet. One of his eyes shone like the Sun, while the other was like moon. The right half of his face resembled Parvati, while the left half looked much like Siva. When he bent down, he looked like Lord Ganesha and when he faced upwards, he seemed like Vishnu.

Bharathy definitely must have been taking some substance at that time in the company of the KuLLachAmi

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 03 Oct 2012, 19:17

'some substance'?
That gives the clue to 'peridinum peridu kEL' !

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 04 Oct 2012, 11:38

Sridhar has made use of all the3 suggested translations. everybody is happy.

.

He would share with Kuvalai Kannan his wish to have a ‘hall of solitude’ (EkAnta kUDam) so that he could escape from useless, idle people. Kuvalai used to say that inspired by this, Aurobindo went on successfully to build exactly such a facility.

[/i]
May I know who is the author of this statement. I am sorry I have forgotten.
Matrimandhir was built decades after the passing away of Aurobindo.I remember attending this inauguration for which the Mother also was not present. only a taped message of the mother was broadcast during the function.
Aurobindo came to pondicherry on the invitation of Bharathi.It will be interesting to know what Aurobindo has said or written about Bharathi after he came to pondicherry.

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 04 Oct 2012, 14:39

Kuvalai Kannan must have referred to Aurobindo Ashram which was started by Aurobindo in 1926. Aurobindo stayed in the first floor of the Ashram building and never came down till the end.

Auroville came much later. The idea of Auroville was mentioned by Mother only in 1965. And it was inaugurated in 1968.

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 04 Oct 2012, 17:38

Bharati ... thought and acted big when it came to selecting a rental accommodation for his family. After a growing dislike for the original house he stayed in at Eswaran Dharamaraja Koil Street, he found a much larger house to move in, just across the street. It was a large, two-storied home with a hall on the first floor and a terrace on top it...

In Pondicherry, it was not the practice to rent out individual floors, or portions. If one wanted rental accommodation, he had to take the full house. Usually rental agreements were strictly for a fixed period. The owner may extend the period if the tenent was regular in paying the rent. In Bharati's case, owners were happy to let him vacate. So he had to shift his residence a number of times.

But the general atmosphere was different. The Chettiar & Pillai community of Pondicherry used to accommodate Brahmin families at nominal rent. In fact, a number of families were allowed to stay free of rent. And in a few cases, the owners even paid some amount every month to the Brahmin families for staying in their house!

Incidentally, in Triplicane, Bharati had to live in a very small portion of a very big house.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 04 Oct 2012, 20:22

Aurobindo came to pondicherry on the invitation of Bharathi.

That is news to me. It will be nice to know the historical background and details.Aurobindo's migration to Pondy is a signal event in the development of Vedanta movement (Aurobindo style).
I will be grateful for any related links...

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 04 Oct 2012, 20:47

Sri Aurobindo did not come to Pondicherry on the invitation of Bharati. In fact, Bharati and others came to know of Sri Aurobindo's decision only when a letter from Calcutta came to 'India' office.

Sri Parthasarathy Iyengar, the younger brother of Sri Mandayam Srinivasachariar, travelled to the major cities in north India to sell the shares of the newly formed Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company. When he visited Calcutta, he met Sri Aurobindo and conveyed to him about Pondicherry, a Frech territory, as a safe place to escape from the clutches of the British and that a few freedom fighters who had taken shelter there were running a magazine named 'India'. He suggested to Sri Aurobindo that he too should consider taking shelter at Pondicherry. Sri Aurobindo took Sri Parthasarathy Iyengar's suggestion !!

So, it was Sri Parthasarathy Iyengar, and no one else, who had suggested to Sri Aurobindo about Pondicherry. Others, including Sri Srinivasachariar and Sri Bharati, came to know of this only when a letter came from Calcutta to 'India' office.

cmlover:
Please check this: http://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/resea ... life&id=23

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 04 Oct 2012, 21:05

Ponbhairavi wrote: May I know who is the author of this statement.

Unless cited otherwise, the statements we are translating are those of rA. a. Padmanabhan, author of the book 'chittira bhaarati' which is the one currently being translated and shared page by page by Arasi, KVC and me.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 04 Oct 2012, 22:16

Many thanks PB for the illuminating extracts.
I was under the impression Aurobindo just took refuge at Pondichery.
Looks there is more to it. We must all be grateful to S. Parthasarathi Iyengar for getting him out of British India into the French Enclave where he succeeded in bringing the message of vedanta to the wider West - an unforgettable service next only to that of Swami Vivekananda....

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 05 Oct 2012, 00:55

Sridhar,
Thanks for clarifying it. Yes, unless quoted, they are to be assumed to be RA.a. Padmanabhan's writing. As you say, our translation of the book does not deviate from the pages of Chithra BhArathi.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 05 Oct 2012, 08:41

Aurobindo, Aiyar arrive

Within a month of India stopping publication, in April 1910, Babu Aurobindo Ghosh followed Bharati’s idea and arrived in Puduchery in secret. Mandayam Srinivasachariyar and Bharati had made all the arrangements for him to reach Puduchery and live there unbeknownst to anybody. Kalavai Sankara Chettiyar was another collaborator who worked with the two of them.

Aurobindo was one of the important political leaders of the country in 1910. The government had imprisoned him, suspecting him of involvement in bombing campaigns in Bengal. In prison, Aurobindo saw Krishna everywhere, and experienced the vision of (divine) knowledge. His mind was drawn to the practice of Yoga. After his release, he started running a magazine called ‘Karma Yogin’. Bharati was publishing the same magazine in Puduvai under the name ‘Karma Yogi’ after translating the contents in Tamil. The government took Aurobindo's Yogic Practices to be nothing more than a façade, and kept giving him unending trouble.

Around this time, Parthasarathy, younger brother of Srinivasachari, had undertaken a trip to the north to mobilize share capital for the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company started by V O Chidambaram Pillai. He met Sri Aurobindo in Calcutta. Apart from discussing matters concerning the shipping company, Parthasarathy briefed Aurobindo on the south Indian political scene, and how Bharati and India, unable to operate in Madras, were functioning unhindered in Pondicherry. This clever scheme devised by the Tamils made a deep impression in Aurobindo’s mind.

In March 1910, a Bengali youth arrived in Puduchery carrying a letter from Aurobindo. Aurobindo had written to Parthasarathy stating that he had decided to shift to Pondichery, and was arriving by a French ship on a specific date. He had requested Parthasarathy to receive him and arrange a secret place for his stay. Srinivasachar showed this letter to Bharati. The two of them then went together to Kalavai Sankara Chettiyar. It was arranged for Aurobindo to stay on the upper portion of Chettiyar’s house.

On the evening of the appointed day, Aurobindo arrived by ship. Bharati and Srinivasachari went by boat to board the ship and brought Aurobindo to Chettiyar’s residence.

The British police got to know of Aurobindo’s flight to Puduvai only two months later.

Within six months of Babu Aurobindo Ghosh’s coming to Puduvai, a bearded Mohammedan also arrived there. After reaching Puduvai he announced to the British Government that he was V.V.S. Aiyar (Va. Ve. Su Aiyar).

Va. Ve. Su Aiyar belonged to Varahaneri in Trichinopoly. He had gone to London seeking to qualify as a barrister of law. There he got acquainted with people like Dr. T.S.S. Rajan and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and got involved in the extremist movement. Madanlal Dhingra, one of the members of their group, shot dead an English Officer by name Curzon Wyllie in London. Savarkar was arrested in this connection. Aiyar went underground, for a while posing as a bearded Sikh with the name of Vir Vikram Singh, and later masquerading as an Arab Muslim offering namaaz five times a day. Using as a ruse documents that showed him as headed to Brazil, he arrived in Puduchery via Turkey and Colombo. He too found a place to stay in Dharamaraja Koil Street, which was already sheltering Bharati, Srinivasachari and Aurobindo, prompting Bharati to sing the street’s praise as “Keerti aDaikkalam SEr ISwaran dharmarAjA kOyil vIdhi” (Street where fame seeks refuge) in his compilation ‘Bharati 66’.

Bharati, Srinivasachar, Aiyar and Aurobindo spent their evenings discussing literature, the path of knowledge (jnaana maargam), and related matters.

Thanks to Aurobindo’s influence, Bharati was drawn to the hymns of Vedic Rishis. He even translated them to Tamil. Many works in free verse were born in this period, including ‘Veda Rishigal Kavitai’ (Poems of Vedic Rishis), ‘Patanjalai Yoga Sutram’ (which was described by Aurobindo as even better than Vivekananda’s English translation) and “Kaatchi” (Vision).

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 05 Oct 2012, 08:45

Clockwise from top left: Babu Aurobindo Ghosh, Va. Ve. Su Aiyar, Kalavai Sankara Chettiyar's residence (Aurobindo lived in the top portion)

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 05 Oct 2012, 12:11

Thanks Sridhar for the clarification.
CM L:post536; Cf first line of post 541 which comes right apropos.
Within a month of India stopping publication, in April 1910]Babu Aurobindo Ghosh followed Bharati’s idea
and arrived in Puduchery in secret.

Ashram records are but one source.As I wrote earlier It will be interesting to know about What Aurobindo has said or written about Bharati after he came to pondicherry.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 Oct 2012, 19:58

Yes you are right!
I too hope we get to hear more about
Bharathy - Aurobindo connections...

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 06 Oct 2012, 10:50

Thank you CML
In fact the view expressed by me is not my personal discovery.It is the view commonly prevalent in tamil literary circles
I thank Sridhar for his translation which i enjoyed reading and which came in time to save me lot of work.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Oct 2012, 19:24

Obviously the excursions of Bharathy into Vedas and vedanta are due to the influence of Aurobindo in his life!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 06 Oct 2012, 19:36

No doubt about that. They met almost every evening, during the years that Bharathi lived in Puduvai--often in the company of Mandayam Srinivasachari and Va Ve Su. From what we gather so far, Bharathi and Arabindo had an evening discussion on a regular basis. I'm certain that Arabindo looked forward to these meetings, the recluse, who got Bharathi's spirited accounts about the outside world, along with his great interest in AnmIka vichAram.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 07 Oct 2012, 18:51

Page with notes on Bharati and Srinivasachari from the diary of a British Indian CID policeman who was on a spying mission in Puduvai in 1914. The only complaint against Bharati is that he is "friendly with a suspect". Srinivasachar's cook had 'the same hatred for the state as his master'.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 07 Oct 2012, 19:04

Diary of a Police Informer

Puduchery, 1914. A British Indian policeman from the CID was spying on Bharati, Aiyar, Srinivasachariyar and Aurobindo. The British Indian Police per se had no business in the French territory of Puduvai. But it became a matter of concern to the British Indian government that many resistance leaders and their followers had got together in small town Puduvai, and were out of reach: Bharati at first from 1908, Srinivasachariar of India following him, then as arranged by these two, Aurobindo in April 1910, and finally Va. Ve. Su. Aiyar in October 1910.

The then Madras government and the union government of India were consumed by worries over what exactly this group of leaders was up to in Puduchery, whether they were conspiring to overthrow the British rule, and so on. Hence the government of Madras Presidency tried to accomplish through civilian informers what they could not carry out by deploying their uniformed policemen (since it was a French territory). This spying effort had started in 1908 itself, but intensified further in 1911 after Collector Ashe was killed by a young man called Vanchi Aiyar at Maniyachi.

The informer’s job was to observe the movements of the Puduvai based ‘Swadeshi’ leaders and send a report to the British authorities. The notes made on his diary by such an informer of the British police force on Bharati, Srinivasachar, Aurobindo and Aiyar have become available now. On the facing page are photographic images of the diary pages on Bharati and Srinivasachar. The spy could not make any accusatory remarks on Bharati at all, apart from the fact that ‘suspect’ Thangavelu Pillai was among Bharati’s friends. Otherwise he has generally rambled on about happenings in the town.

The informer has not displayed any great knowledge about Srinivasachar also. It is interesting to read his note on Varadaraja Iyengar, the cook who served the Srinivasachar family, stating that the cook shared his master’s hatred for the state.

This police informer’s diary is a small sized ‘pocket’ notebook of 42 pages. On thirty of these pages, there are multiple names entered per page along with details of each. The names are classified into three groups and each group is further divided into classes A, B and C. The hierarchy probably indicated an order of Most Dangerous, Moderately Dangerous and Dangerous persons.

The only name on that list under Group ‘1’, class ‘A’ is Srinivasachari (Mandayam Srinivasachar). The first name under class ‘B’ is “Aravinda Ghose”; the sixth name was that of Aurobindo’s then disciple, Ramaswamy Iyengar (a) Ramasamy alias Narayana Iyer i.e. our own va. rA (va. rAmaswamy Iyengar).

In the second group, there are no class ‘A’ names. In class ‘C’, there is the name of Sundaresayyar, Bharati’s friend. In the same group, under the heading ‘persons underground carrying warrants’, we see the names: 1. S. M. Madasamy Pillai and 2. M. P. Tirumalachari. The former was a close friend of V.O.C.; the latter was editor of India briefly in 1908, after which he left for Europe all of a sudden and turned into a major revolutionary.

In the third group, there were three class ‘A’ names: 1. V. V. Subramania Aiyar 2. C. Subramania Bharati and 3. Nagasamy. In class ‘B‘ were friends of Bharati and Aiyar such as Kanakarajan (youngest son of Ponnu Murugesam Pillai), Vadhyar Subramania Iyer, Saminathayyar, Kannu Pillai and Thangavelu Pillai. There was just one name in class ‘C’, that of one Krishnasamy Naidu.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 10 Oct 2012, 18:40

Nagaswamy, Kannu Pillai

Once India had established roots in Puduchery, Bharati sent word to a friend in Ettayapuram requesting him to recommend a few patriotic young men with a spirit of sacrifice to work in the journal. Three men came to Puduchery and joined work: P.P. Subbiah, V. Harihara Sharma and N. Nagaswamy.

Subbiah was a good writer, having already contributed articles for Bharati’s journals. He also wrote a book ‘Maadar Kadamai’ (Duty of Women) which received Va. Ve. Su. Aiyar’s praise. After India ceased publication in 1910, he returned to his hometown where he ran a school, and passed away in 1920.

Harihara Sharma was a distant relative of Bharati. He turned revolutionary after India was stopped, lived in Gandhi’s Ashram for some time, became a Hindi Pracharak and founded the Dakshin Bharat Hndi Prachar Sabha. One of the three who founded Bharati Prasuraalayam (Bharati Publishing House) after the poet’s death, his service in terms of printing and propagating Bharati’s works is incomparable. Sharmaji passed away aged 82 in the Royapettah hospital in Chennai on 28th June, 1971.

Unlike the other two, N. Nagaswamy chose to stay back in Puduvai where he lived till his death. He passed away in a hut in Nellithoppu in Puduchery on 18th May 1971, aged 82, amidst indescribable poverty and a sorrowful family life. His memoirs and anecdotes on Bharati, written when he was immobilized by a fracture on his leg in 1960, can be seen in the 1966 book ‘Puduvaiyil Desa Bhaktargal’ (Patriots in Puduchery).

After arriving in Puduvai in the second half of 1910, Nagaswamy became the right hand of (VVS) Aiyar. Running a reading room called ‘Dharmalayam’ and ‘a free newsmagazine called ‘Dharmam’, he helped attract many young men to the nationalist movement. On the one hand there were overground activities such as physical workouts and workshops on public speaking; secret assemblies for firearms practice and signing declarations of freedom in blood were the other set of activities. Another man who worked closely with Aiyar and Nagaswamy in these exercises was Puduvai Muthukumarasamy Pillai a.k.a. Kannu Pillai.

It was Aiyar who sowed the seeds for collector Ashe’s assassination, by drawing Vanchinathan (who shot Ashe and killed himself in 1911) away from Nilakanta Brahmachari’s group. It was the duo of Nagaswamy and Kannu Pillai who indoctrinated Vanchi, gave him multiple rounds of shooting practice with a hand gun and sent him on the mission armed with a revolver and a 'tilak' of blood applied on his forehead.

There was talk of giving away Bharati’s elder daughter in marriage to Nagaswamy, but it did not fructify. Aurobindo, whom Nagaswamy served with devotion as a disciple, arranged his marriage with a Christian girl in 1920, conducting the wedding in Brahmo Samaj fashion. Kamalabai Nagaswamy passed away in 1926 leaving behind three children, causing Nagaswamy untold suffering.

Kannu Pillai (a) Muthukumarasamy Pillai was born in Manakkuppam commune in Puduchery in 1880. He became a Tamil teacher in a French government school after graduating from Puduvai. He was attracted to the national cause from his young days. In 1912 he married Ponnu Kannammal.

Thanks to his connection with Bharati and Aiyar, Kannu Pillai became a target of CID police surveillance. In 1914, he wanted to teach a lesson to one such informer who was spreading rumours about him; Kannu Pillai bashed him up thoroughly and snatched the diary containing confidential notes out of the spy’s bag. This diary turned out to be a rare historical treasure containing the opinion carried by the then British Police about Bharati, Aurobindo, Srinivasachari, Aiyar, Kannu Pillai and others.

In his later days, Kannu Pillai continued working tirelessly for Indian independence, liberation of French India and welfare of the French Indian labour force.
Kannu Pillai (a) Muthukumarasamy Pillai passed away in 1943, aged 63.